Gripping device for camera-fronts.



No. 654,790. Patented luly 3|, I900. A. 0. GHAF.

GRIPPING DEVICE FOR CAMERA FRONTS. (Application filed May 1, 1900.)

(Ho Modal.)

UNITED S rata's Parana @rrrcrz.

ADOLF O. GRAF, OF DEMAREST, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO THE MANHAT TAN OPTICAL COMPANY, OF NEIV YORK.

GRIPPIN G DEVICE FOR CAMERA-FRONTS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 654,790, dated July 31, 1900.

Application filed May 1, 1900.

T0 aZZ whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, ADOLF OTTO GRAF, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Demarest, in the county of Bergen and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Gripping Devices for Camera-Fronts, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to provide a new and improved gripping device for camera-fronts which shall be of simpler construction and more conveniently operated than those hitherto employed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is an isometric perspective of myim proved gripping device applied to a camera-front. Fig. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the same. Fig. 3 is a view of the flexible bottom plate looking at it from the under side.

Similar reference -letters denote similar parts throughout the several views.

A is the extensible front of a collapsible camera of the usual construction, which is arranged to be moved forward or backward on the hinged support B when the camera is being opened or closed and also to obtain an approximate focus. It is guided in its movements by the track 0-, carried on the support The track 0 is made of a long narrow strip of brass, with the longer edges thereof bent up and at right angles to form flanges, as shown in Fig. 1. A portion of this track is shown. in Fig. 1 as broken away directly in front of the gripping device attached to the camera-front in order that the engagement of the bottom plate of the gripping device with the track 0 may be more clearly perceived. To the under side of the extensible front is attached the bottom plate D, the bottom view of which is seen in Fig. 8. At the outer side edges this plate D is bent over to form'gripping-flanges E E, which engage with the flanges of the track (I.

At the center of this plate D and near the forward end thereof a perforation is made,

through which there passes a screw-threaded bolt F, Fig. 2. In the plate D and behind the point through which the bolt F passes are out two slots G G, Fig. 3. The effect of these slots is to render the forward portion of the plate D flexible,

so that it may be readily Serial No. 15,0?7. (No model.)

buckled by a pull at the center. When so buckled,it is evident that the gripping-flanges E E are drawn toward one another and will grasp tightly the flanges of the track 0. The rear portion of the plate D is rigid' and provided with screw-holes, through which small wood-screws are passed to secure the plate to the bottom of the extensible front.

The plate D receives a shouldered nut H, through which the screw-threaded portion of the bolt F passes. This nut H is held" from rotation in the plate D by an adjustable means. The lower portion of the nut H is expanded into a flange, as shown in Fig. 2, so that it may have a considerable bearing upon the lower surface of the flexible portion of the plate D. A portion of the wood of the camera front is cut away directly above this nut and the adjacent parts of the flexible portion of the plate D in order that said flexible portion may have room to buckle in an upward direction when an upward pull is exerted on the nut H by the screwbolt F. At the upper end of the screw-bolt and fast thereto is a lover I, having two finger-pieces M and N. The finger-piece M is at the extreme outer end of the lever I and serves to oscillate it. This lever affords naturally a convenient hand-grasp to draw out the extension-front when opening the camera; but it'it is grasped at the point M the first effect of a pull is to cause the lever to swing forward into the axial line of the camera or that line along which the pull is exerted, in which position the gripping device is in partial engagement with the track 0 and offers considerable resistance to movement along the same. I therefore provide the integral finger-piece N adjacent the pivot and so placed on the lever I that it is presented to the front to be conveniently seized when the lever I is at the extreme right-hand position, in which position of the lever the gripping device is disengaged from the track O, as explained later. As the finger-pieceN is at this time in the line in which force is to be exerted, the lever I hasno tendency to swing on the application of the pull at the I point N. On the contrary such pull posi- 10o tively operates to keep the lever in its righthand or loose position during the adjustment of the extension-front. In cameras having a separate hand-hold independent of the gripping-lever for moving the extension front the liability of the lever to swing accidentally and clamp the gripping device during an adjustment of the extension-front frequently causes annoyance. This inconvenience is avoided by my arrangement. The fingerpiece N is serviceable in moving the extension-front either forward or backward.

The direction of twist of the screw-threads on the screw-bolt E is such that when the lever I is in the right-hand position the gripping-plate D is in its lowered position, and the flanges E E are not gripping the flanges of the track 0. \Vhen the lever I is swung around to the left-hand position, the nut H is drawn upward by the bolt F, drawing with it the adjacent portion of the plate D. This drawing up or buckling of the plate D causes the flanges E E to approach one another and to grip tightly the flanges of the track 0, so that no movement of the camera-front along the track can occur until the loosening of the gripping device by the return of the lever I to its original right-hand position.

The screw-bolt E is prevented from moving downwardly through the nut II by a small plate K on the upper sidetof the forward projection P of the camera-front. The screwbolt passes through this plate and bears on it by a small shoulder, formed just beneath the lever I, as clearly seen in the cross-sectional view Fig. Two small vertical pins or stops L L are placed back of the lever I to limit its movement in either direction.

The means by which the nut II is adjust ably secured to the plate D are as follows: In the plate D are three holes Q. (See Fig. 3 in dotted lines.) A pin R, passing through the flange of the nut I-I, enters one of these holes. If it is desired to tighten the grip on the track, the pin is removed and the nut II rotated for a third of arevolution, so that the pin can enter the next hole, the result being to raise the nut permanently a short distance on the screw-bolt F. This occasions a greater buckling of the plate D and consequently a tighter grip of the flanges E on the track G when the lever I is operated in the usual manner.

Having described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,

1. In a gripping device for camera-fronts, the combination of a flanged track, a flexible plate with a single perforation, grippingflanges on the plate, to engage with the flanged track, and means engaging the plate at the perforation for buckling the plate, whereby its flanges are brought into engagement with the flanged track, substantially as described.

2. In a gripping device for camera-fronts,

the combination of a flanged track upon which the camera-front is adapted to run, a flexible plate beneath the camera-front and extending over the flanged track, flanges on the said flexible plate adapted to engage with the flanged track, a screw-threaded nut beneath the flexible plate, a screw-bolt passing through the flexible plate and entering the nut, and means for turning the screw-bolt, whereby the nut may be drawn upon the screw-bolt and the flexible plate buckled, to

bring its flanges into engagement with the flanged track, substantially as described.

3. In a gripping device for camera-fronts, the combination of a flanged track upon which the camera-front is adapted to run, a

flexible plate beneath the camera-front and extending over the flanged track, flanges on the said flexible plate adapted to engage with the flanged track, a screw-threaded nut beneath the flexible plate, a screw-bolt passing through the flexible plate and entering the nut, means for preventing longitudinal movement of the screw-bolt, and means for turning the screw-bolt, whereby the nut may be drawn upon the screw-bolt and the flexible plate buckled, to bring its flanges into engagement with the flanged track, substantially as described.

4:. In a gripping device for camera-fronts,

the combination of an extension-front, a sup- 5 port on which the extension-front may run, a flexible plate carried by the extensionfront, and engaging the support, and means for bringing the flexible plate into close engagement with the support to prevent longi- 10o tudinal movement of the extension -front thereon, substantially as described.

5. In a gripping device for camera-fronts, the combination of a support for the camerafront, gripping means engaging with the support, a lever to operate the gripping means, pivoted at one end and having a finger-piece at the other end, and an offsetting fingerpieee integral with the lever and located adjacent to the pivot whereby it is presented to I 10 the hand when the lever is in the unlocked position, substantially as described.

6. In a gripping device for can'iera-fronts, the combination of a support for the camerafront, gripping means for engaging with the support, a pivoted lever to operate the gripping means, and pins to limit the swing of the lever in either direction, substantiallyas described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two witnesses.

ADOLF O. GRAE.

Vfitnesses:

Tnnononn T. DORMAN, G. A. TAYLOR. 

